Politics

Mormon Church Rolls Out New Advertising Campaign in Seattle, Other Cities

Attendees participate in the first session of the 181st Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011. (Credit: George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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SEATTLE (CBS Seattle) – Mormons are hoping to show Seattle there is more to their religion than just “The Book of Mormon” and “Big Love.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is rolling out massive advertising campaigns in Seattle, Spokane, Denver and other cities to help people better understand the Mormon faith, according to Reuters.

The “I’m a Mormon” ads can be seen on television, online and on buses.

“The purpose of the campaign is to make it easy for people to learn about the faith and to get to know Mormons personally,” a church spokesman told seattlepi.com.

The church is letting non-Mormons log onto their website so they can talk with representatives about the church’s practices and also browse profiles of Mormons in the area.

“Many people are not familiar with our faith, and that can sometimes lead to misconceptions,” David Evans, the elder who oversees the church’s global network, told Reuters. “The best way to understand Mormons is to meet them and get to know them personally. These ads are an invitation to do that.”

One of the questions asked in the ad is why Mormons are not allowed to drink coffee, tea, or alcohol. The church answered with: “God promises great physical and spiritual blessings to those who” abstain from those substances.

“This is a very natural opportunity to have a conversation with my friends of other faiths and hopefully help them better understand who we are,” Leah Brown, who is participating in the Mormon program, told Reuters.